<p>ChancingFanantic,</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your thoughtful response. Feel free to tell me anything else you want to get across; this was very helpful. </p>
<p>I actually have visited all of the schools I talked about and many more. I felt right at home at both Brown and Stanford. Distance from home is not a problem–both schools are about equal. Palm trees and warm weather are definitely a big attraction, along with the fact that California is an area where I’d love to get connections. However, I think that the quality of my education and type of people I’m surrounded by outweigh these pluses. Brown’s students seems very outgoing (sort of crunchy), pretty laid back, and relaxed. At Stanford, everyone seemed really enthusiastic, competent, eager to help, and also relaxed. Both schools emphasize a multidisciplinary approach and give students a lot of academic freedom. I know I’d be happy at either school, but I’m leaning towards Stanford.</p>
<p>The question is if I should apply early to Stanford. I think my odds of acceptance are definitely somewhat higher at Brown. However, Stanford is early action, not early decision, which allows me to reconsider everything in the spring, including financial aid (which won’t be the deciding factor). I’ve read some reports that admission rates early action at Stanford are almost twice as high as regular decision rates. However these early action rates are still about half the acceptance rates for Brown’s early decision. Stanford is my natural inclination, but I’d rather get accepted into Brown than neither of these schools. Is it really true that it would be harder for me, as an on-the-edge applicant, to be accepted early vs regular at Stanford? Again, I really appreciate the input. </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>